a day in the life of...

it's been a month.

at first we were saying, 'we've only been here for four weeks!' now we're saying 'i can't believe we've been here for a month already!'

cliched, I know, but how time flies...

Since we still only have one car, our lives are continually in limbo; depending almost completely on Manuel/Ceci or Alvin to dictate our days or give us a ride to the office, to campus, to the grocery store, to get mail...We wait with uncertainty to find out what our days will hold - if anything at all. It can be hard and often frustrating not having a schedule yet - but I keep being reminded that this is year one. This is part of the pioneering stage. No, it's not all pretty. Much of it drives us crazy, or teaches us patience I should say...but in the midst of communication barriers and errors, disunity, uncertainty in absolutely everything we do, we can see the hand of God all around us. He's kept us safe. He's kept us healthy (well, not dying anymore at least!). He's blessed us with staff who love us like children. He's provided us safe homes in the midst of extreme poverty and crime...and He's working in students hearts on the campuses where we are starting ministry. No, we don't know what ministry will look like this year. No we don't know what ministry will look like tomorrow...but we do know that we are called to be here, and we are making a difference. Everyone who gave financially so we could be here is making a difference. Everyone who lifts up a prayer. Lives are and will be transformed this year.

Today on campus we met a girl named Stephanie...she loves to speak english and she loves the Lord. Right away we could tell that she was a leader. I always wonder how we end up talking to these students - and then she answered my thoughts and said 'God will bring the right people into your lives. I'm astonished at what you are doing here in my country, but it's good. And God will provide opportunities for you to speak to people who can make a difference.' Couldn't have said it better, Stephanie.

it makes me think of the cards we received from Layo and Luchi the first sticky night we arrived in this beautiful country..."Welcome to El Salvador...and to the most fun, challenging, life-changing, fruitful, and blessed year of your life." Amen!

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mister donut...

In El Salvador, they have this phenomenon called..."mister donut."

It actually got recommended to us from a couple of really cute, trendy girls from Evangelica University. And in a country where everything is a little sketchy - we take recommendations very seriously. We checked out a newer one at some mall a couple weeks ago and saw that it offered your usual deli array of croissant sandwiches, crepes, etc. as well as the ever popular brightly frosted donuts. It didn't really look like anything special or particularly apetizing, but we see them everywhere...

Last friday, after some time at UTEC doing ministry, we realized that we needed to grab some dinner before heading to another staffer's apartment for a planning meeting. We arrived in a parking lot chalk full of fast food places such as the greasy and satisfying pollo companero, KFC, and some random burger joint...as well as the [literally] jam packed donut man. No joke, the line was forever long. The other places - nothing. no lines. no people. So, of course, we went to Donut man, because that's where Alvin said we'd go. And, right now, we're pretty much doing whatever we're told and going where others go.

After a bout an hour and a half, we had all 'enjoyed' our interesting pizza/sandwich combo's that come with what else but, a donut.

Needless to say, we were pretty disappointed and our stomachs were NOT thanking us later. Tis all part of the experience...

I apologize for the sillyness of these blogs. I plan to get a legit one up soon! Right now, I'm off to bed. Much love to you all!

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it was bound to happen...

Our team has finally had it's first major bout of sickness! (the exclamation is not so much out of my excitement for these circumstances, but more because, well, we knew it would happen sooner or later...and it has)

3 weeks in and we're going on our second day of returning to good health. I was the first to feel it - flu like symptoms. Mostly aches, dizziness, chills...by the next morning it had spread to all but 2 on the team, now we're down to one healthy team member. Lucky Lauren. She gets to take care of us! I won't go into details, but we're getting a lot closer as we experience the after effects of whatever has dominated our systems together.

I've been eating more today and feeling a lot stronger...We're hoping we'll all feel up to campus ministry tomorrow. And despite not feeling my best, yesterday was such a blessing. I had some awesome time in the word and was encouraged by e-mails and some of the girls in the house. It's so encouraging to know that even being this far from home, God is taking care of all of us, and has been faithful to reveal himself to me and draw me close to him!

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blunder number 72...

so, being in a new culture with a different language and such, you can imagine the cultural mishaps that take place in our daily lives...

last night, we had one of these such experiences with Alvin and Sylvia (Sylvia doesn't speak any english, Alvin speaks only a little english) last night on the ride home from Gavidia.

A little background - Kristen is the female leader of our team and with a distinctly parental myers briggs of ESFJ has earned the nickname 'mom' 'mama' 'mother' 'etc.'

Kristen, sadly, was not feeling good last night and so stayed home from campus ministry. On the way back we proceeded to sarcastically joke that we could now 'party and have some actual fun' since momma wasn't around. Sylvia and Alvin then proceeded to laugh hysterically. We, of course thought this was funny as well...but Joe was quick to learn from Sylvia - through hand motions I might add - that the way we pronounced 'momma' did not mean mama, as we thought, but breast. Joe then had to turn back and explain to the rest of what had happened. We called Kristen breast. It was awesome. and there are many more to come i'm sure!

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and the fun begins

today kristen, marijke, and I headed to the boys' place for a morning of "productiveness" - and abuelita's cooking. The other team is at Matias University right now, doing some prayer walking and ministry start-up...whatever that may look like. We'll get updates from them tonight. Our team also starts campus ministry today. We'll be hitting up Gavidia University where there's a guys' bible study that Joe and Jeff will attend. Us girls will find something to invest our time in.

Before we go, we're hoping to have a short devo and time of prayer...It's so amazingly refreshing having to take every little thing we do to the Lord and place it in His hands. We are so useless without his power and spirit, and just the thought of going out on the campuses this year with God in us is so encouraging to me! This morning I read in Joshua about one of Joshua's daughters, Achsah, asking for a spring/well for the land he had given her. I began to think of how useless the land would be if there was no water - it wouldn't produce. it wouldn't sustain. it wouldn't provide for others. In the same way - what good am I with out the Lord? the spirit? the word? It's so crucial for me to be feeding my soul with these essentials in order to be effective. I praise God that he chooses to use us despite our complete lack of ability to do anything without him!

So if you have a second, would you lift up our teams as we embark out on the campuses this week? And that we'd be continuously leaning on the Lord in all we do :) Love you all!!

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Our Brady Bunch-esque team picture! This was at the
sweet coffee gardens we visited last weekend

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On our way to Vida Estudiantil (Ve!) - the weekly meeting at Evangelica University with Andres (Manuel and Ceci's son)

Lauren, me, and Bean. Roomies forever! Or at least through the year :)

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Settling in and Thunder Storms

It's hard to believe a week and counting has gone by...Today is Friday and we arrived last Tuesday! Our days have mostly been filled with errands - stop by the mall, by the bank, by the post-office, by the schools, by the mall, by the bank, etc. But I feel like I'm already getting accustomed to the uniquely odd characteristics of this beautiful country. There are things that I would think should make me uneasy or feel unsafe - like the copious amounts of razor wire on top of buildings, or the random guards on every corner carrying guns...Yet I feel so at peace here.

Despite the fact that we are living in one of El Salvador's wealthiest communities, I'm very much aware that this is a third world country. And my team and I have been called to be servants here - to the staff, the students, and the people we come into contact with everyday. It's really no different than what we are called to do back in the United States, it's just that here, it has become our sole purpose. And there's a language barrier...Pero estamos aprendiendo! (We're learning!)

We attended our first staff meeting this past Monday morning at the Campus Crusade office building where we had a time of worship, a devotion, and prayer requests/testimonies. Kristen and Trevor then announced how our teams would be split (There are 4 campuses we will be doing ministry on this year and so our team decided to be spit in two and each team would be responsible for 2 campuses). On the Evangelica/Matias Campuses where we had already participated in a weekly meeting, the team members are: Trevor, Brandon, Lauren, Bean, and Brenna. Myself, Kristen, Marijke, Jeff, and Joe will be on the 2 other campuses: Tecnologica/Francisco Gavidia which are decidedly less affluent and closer to our equivalent of state schools. When we first learned of this split, we were all a little bummed out - myself included - mostly for a variety of reasons involving team unity. And after our team had our first meeting with the staff from our campuses, our hearts were torn. On one hand, we were so excited to finally be getting started and desiring to come alongside the staff and help in anyway possible, yet on the other hand, we realized that our schedules would look different than the rest of the team, and the inspiring vision that Layo had previously cast in regards to reaching the top leaders and future leaders of this country seemed to not apply to us quite as much...

After some evaluating, team discussion, and time to process - we realized that no matter where we are serving this year - we are here to do just that: serve. And God obviously has a purpose in putting us 5 on those 2 campuses. We may face a few extra obstacles (with language/students' availability and reliable transportation/distance to travel...) but God is fighting for us. He has put us here for a reason bigger than any of us can even begin to imagine right now - and ALL of us are so priviledged to be working for the God of the Universe. A friend of mine left me a wise reminder before I left - There will be great successes ahead - they might not all be easy, but all the stuff that matters rarely is.

It's raining right now. again. It rains a lot in El Salvador - it's the main reason why the land is so lush and green. I know we'll have a lot of rain in our ministry this year. It's inevitable. God doesn't promise an easy life - especially a life fully committed to following after Him. We're going to have to fight...but God is fighting with us and for us. He is a God that desires to give good gifts to his children. And I believe He is a God that desires to do a mighty work in the country of El Salvador. My prayer right now is that I would be diligent to seek God and obediently fight - in all kinds of weather.

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